Improved submarine foundation



ltnfted States @sind Getting.

Letters Patent No. 92,033, dated June 29, 1869.

IMPROVE!) S'lJ'BMAlRtIll'E FOUNDATION.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

son skilled in the art or science to which it most nearly` appel-talus, to make and use my said invention or improvements without further invention or experiment.

The nature of this invention consists in facilitating the construction of submarine walls, such as dry docks, foundations oflight-houses, piers for bridging-purposes, wharves, breakwaters, bulkheads, and in fact all operations where diving-bells or submarine armor have been used, and where the work to be performed is desired to be done in a substantial manner.

it also relates to the erection of walls for buildings and other structures which are built upon the ground in countries subject to earthquakes, where a solid and substantial wall is necessary to prevent injury consequent upon shocks or undulations of the ground.

In my Inode of constructiol'l, I employ granite, concrete, or any other substance or material suitable for resisting the action ofthe water. I prefer concrete in sacks or blocks, green or solid, as it can beznore easily worked and moulded into the necessary or desired shapes, suitable for my purposes.

',lo describe my invention more fully, so that any person skilled in the art or science to which it most nearly appertains, can understand and perform -the same, reference is had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, ot' which- Figure I is a plan, showing the stone-work beneath.

Figure 2 is an end View, showing the filling of concrete.

Figure 3, sheet 2, is a bottom view of the stonework, showing the position ofthe rods.

Figure 4, sheet 2,l is a front sectional View of the wall and the floating frame, showing the position of the guide-rods.

Similar letters of reference, in each of the figures, indicate like parts.

In constructing a sea-wall or other submarine structure, the nature of the foundation, or bottom upon which the masonry is to be built, should be first acm curately ascertained. If it should be found to besolid Y and level, then lthe labor is simple, and the workmen are ready to proceed to lay the wall, but as the generality of the beds of baysand standing bodies of water are composed of mud, and are of uneven surface, I will describe first my mode of proceeding to pro duce the solid foundation for the wall, by levelling and filling in the uneven places, and removing the mud from the bottom of the foundation of the wall.

After the nature of the bed or bottom, upon which the wall is to be built, has been accurately ascertained, I begin by building or constructing a fac simile of the bottom, of suitable material, on a scale of one inch to the foot, or one foot in ten, according to the magnitude ofthe proposed wall. I then fill in all holes which may be in the line of my operations, by sending down sacks of green concrete, and beating it down with a long-handled maul, l, until it is level or even with the general surface ofthe bottom.

I then moor directly over the line of the proposed wall, a frame composed of two timbers A and l5, extending longitudinally along the line of the wall, one on each side, and placed about two feet wider apart than the width of the Wall.

These timbers are secured together by cross-pieces C C, framed into their ends, thus keeping them equidistant apart. I then lay an iron rod about vone inch in diameter, the outer end of which is anchored at the extreme .point of the wall to be laid, and the opposite end set taut at the shore, with a purchase to make it lie straight; then, with a measuring-rod, I measure the distance every foot of the way along the line of the wall, from the rod to the bottom, in order to get the inequalities of the bottom. Y

Should the bottom present a smooth and level surface, the work is'ready to be proceeded with; if not, I take a rod or transient guide, c', and set it up on end vertically in the water, over the depressions and inequalities,l beginning at the end of the wall, and mark upon it, by means of a file, the height at which the water stands, and by thus moving it along, and marking at each step, the inequalities of the bottom can be transferred to the fac simile or model already prepared. Should boulders present themselves, the use of blasting-powder will level them to asmooth surface, but should holes or fissures appear, they can be filled up in the following manner Find' the dimensions of the hole or fissure, seam, crevice, or other impediment, by means of a rod, then set the rod or guide perpendicularly over it, and send down a sutiicient number of sacks of green concrete to lill up level, by stringing the sacks on the guide and allowing them to descend to' the bottom. he concrete th'us sent down is then churned down by the use of the long-handled .maul Z. In this way I level up the bottom, always keeping the model a fac 'simile ofthe main foundation.

The foundation or bottom having thus been brought feet wide, I put in cross-girders a a a at equal distance-s apart, say every ten feet. Should prominent inequalities still appear, out the ground-rods FF, and v put in links just the height ofthe impediment, which will bring the ground-rod toits place. Should depressions appear, use the transient guides and green concrete, as before directed.

Suppose the water to be thirty-live feet deep at one end of the proposed wall, fifteen feet in the middle, and tive feet at the shore-end. I take iron rods c c c, ofsulicient diameter to insure strength, and cnt them ve feet longer than the depth of water in which they are to be placed, and secure their lower ends to the parallel groundfrods FE by any suitable means. These rods stand perpendicularly, and serve as permanent guides,

and are as many in number, and placed as far apart as the number and size of the blocks employed necessitate. The distance between any two of these rods, in any direction, should be equal, the distance and number being governed by the size of the blocks, which must be ofa uniform size.

Across the top of the floating frame, formed by the timbers A and 13,1 place, at equal distances apart, cross-pieces I I, secured temporarily to the frame by means of staples and keys g g, so that they may be removed when desired.

The guide-rods c c pass up from the water, and through staples i y12 t' in the sides of the cross-pieces I I I, which keep them steady.A

The blocks K, which I use for constructing the wall, may be, as above stated, of any suitable material, capable of resisting the` action of the water.V I prefer the manufactured stone called concretestone,7 on account of the ease with which it can be moulded to the proper or desired form. These stones I mould into blocks ofcqnal size, with two holes in them, one at each end, corresponding with the distance between the perpendicular' guides c c c. over the guides c c, which are then entered into their respective holes, and the cross-pieces I, beneath it, re moved, when they are lowered to the proper place, following down the guides.

The first course is thus laid, remembering to place on the model, the duplicate of each block as it is lowered, so that the engineer may Vat all times be able to see at a glance how the work is progressing. If the model is wrong, the main wall will also be wrong.

The second course of blocks is sent down with a layer of cement on the underside, and on the next pair of guides, so as to break joints in the manner usual iu masonry. Ifthe blocks `are properly dovetailed and bonded, there is no use for cement, unless a water-proof wall be desired. Should an inclined wall be required, a proper slant can be given to the guides c c, backed by acounter-wall, and filled in with concrete.

Between every course,- or every second course of blocks, I send down upon the upper tace ofthe blocks,

, flat iron binders ff, provided with a hole at each end, and sent down the guides c c, so as to lie crosswise of the wall. After a few courses have been laid, the

rlhe blocks are hoisted oating frame can be removed, unless it be needed for convenience in lowering the blocks.

After the first course of blocks is laid, it' all the necessary preparations have been made, the wall can belaid with great rapidity. Blocks of any size, that can be hoisted to the top of 'the upright guides, can be used. If of concrete,`theyI can all be cast in two or three different moulds.

Wharves made of this' material, and in this manner', .can be constructed with gat-es at their outer ends, which can be easily framed in with green concrete in sacks, and thus be made water-tight, and every dock a dry dock.

vCotter-dams constructed of green concrete, can be made water-tight and laid with great rapidity, by sharp ening the ends of the upright guides c c, to a fine point, raising the sacks above the guides, piercing the sacks and sending it to its bed, using thelong-haudled maul l for beating it down. Should the bed or bcttorn be of mud, dredging may be necessary, or sacks ot' green concrete on sectional trames may be sunk through the mud to a solid foundation, Vand a square wall started upon them with perfect safety.

In building single courses only,I one ground-rod is used, and one-halt' the number of upright guides that is used in a double wall, but in .using concrete in sacks, the same number is used as in double walls.

Walls for earthquake-proof houses can be huilt, in` this manner, of concrete or artilicial stone, binding them together with the guides and gil-ders, making them proof against the most violent convulsions, and would be especially useful where earthquakes are coni mon, as they cannot be thrown down unless bodily, and although the stones or blocks may become broken and thrown out of their proper line, they cannot fall and endanger the lives ot' persons who may be passin.

Having thus described my invention,

ent, is

l. 'Ihe ground frame, consisting of the rods F and girders a, in colnbination with the guide-rods c, connected and arranged substantially as herein set forth.

2. In combination with the rods c, the blocks K, provided with holes to receive said rods, substantially as described.

3. In combinationwith the above-claimed frame and rods, the top frame, consisting of the timbers A and B, and the cross-pieces I, provided with the staples 'i t', substantially as described. i

4. In combination with the rods c, the binders f, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

In witness. whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal.

WM. I-I. FOYE. [1.. s.] Vitnesses:

T. W. OoLBUnN, J oHN L. Boone.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Pat- 

